Gregoire Saucy fastest as Formula 3 testing begins in Bahrain

Grégoire Saucy was fastest as the FIA Formula 3 pre-season test began in Bahrain on Tuesday.

Grégoire Saucy on track during the pre-season test in Bahrain. (Formula Motorsport Limited)

The Swiss driver topped the time sheets in both sessions with the best time of 1:47.563 in the setting sun of the afternoon running.

Despite all drivers completing installation laps at the beginning of the morning session, it was only Aussie Tommy Smith who remained on track, setting the first lap times of the 2023 season.

With just under an hour remaining, drivers rushed to track to set a lap time, with Saucy setting the fastest time of 1:49.155 ahead of Taylor Barnard and Zak O’Sullivan.

Australian Hugh Barter was 14th fastest with a time of 1:50.098, while Christian Mansell and Tommy Smith finished the session 22nd and 23rd respectively.

Luke Browning clocked the most runtime of the session, completing 29 laps in his Hitech Pulse-Eight.

The afternoon session was a different story, with all teams except Hitech Pulse-Eight out on track immediately and making the most of the cooling Sakhir circuit.

Trident’s Gabriel Bortoleto set the first competitive lap with a time of 1:49.366, before Gabriele Mini went fastest with four consecutive fastest laps.

Despite the competitiveness of the afternoon session it was Saucy who went fastest once again, setting the fastest lap of the day ahead of Paul Aron and Josep María Martí.

Christian Mansell was 16th-fastest, with Hugh Barter 17th, and Tommy Smith 28th.

Smith was one of a number of drivers to run the furthest distance in the afternoon session, completing 34 laps.

The 2023 FIA Formula 3 pre-season test continues 14-16 February in Sakhir, Bahrain.